The objective of this study was to characterize the architecture of the root system of black wattle trees (Acacia mearnsii), three years after planting, in relation to eight types of containers and six substrata used in the nursery, considering chemical and physical conditions of the soil. The experiment was carried out in Cristal (RS), in a Podzolic Dark Red soil. The soil presented high density, low pH and excess of aluminum. The treatment that induced larger root development was fertil-pot with fertilized soil, which differed significantly from the treatments round plug, with fertilized soil + acacia exhausted bark + vermiculite; paper pot, with fertilized soil and laminated in wood box, with fertilized soil. The development and the architecture of the roots in the field was affected by the container but not by the substrata used in the nursery.